Jonny Greenwood with the London Contemporary Orchestra at the Roundhouse in London, in July 2014. Photograph: Edu Hawkins/Redferns via Getty Images

Young music fans more used to listening to pop are instead tuning into Henry Purcell, as classical music gains a foothold in Britain's youth culture.

One of the UK's leading underground music channels, Boiler Room, is starting a series of classical shows, beginning this week in Manchester with a collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra. Also, the BBC announced an initiative last week, aimed at primary schools in the UK, that hopes to inspire a generation of children about the joys of classical music.

Boiler Room started in 2010 in the decaying utility room of a pigeon-infested warehouse in east London when underground DJs and live acts were invited to perform for a small crowd and an online audience via a webcam taped to the wall. Back then, nobody imagined the music channel would one day be teaming up with a full orchestra and Jonny Greenwood, the guitarist in Radiohead, to host a series of classical music events in concert halls across the country. "For many young people, classical music has always been class-related and hard to access, in the same way that everyone goes to the cinema, but not many go to the theatre," said Radio 1 & 1Xtra DJ and tastemaker Benji B (real name Benjamin Benstead), who is introducing his listeners to the likes of Claude Debussy, John Cage and Steve Reich. "Classical music is seen as impenetrable and there's a snobbery related to it but at last that's changing and it seems to be incredibly popular."

The Boiler Room classical series will feature performances of work by Iannis Xenakis, Purcell and Olivier Messiaen. In 2011, Benstead invited the Deviation String Quartet to join him in one of the London Eye's pods for an improvised performance as part of Red Bull's Revolutions in Sound event and, since then, he has been working with a string orchestra to make classical arrangements of modern songs.

Blaise Bellville, founder and CEO of Boiler Room, says there has been an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the under-25 crowd as young people become increasingly open to classical music. "Young audiences are more open than ever to different ideas and genres. For instance, young people are excited by Henrik Schwarz's decision to premiere his new jazz and contemporary classical project with us in a concert hall at Amsterdam Dance Event this month, instead of wanting him to lay down just another sweaty techno set."

Bellville thinks one explanation for this enthusiasm is that a trait among music fans is to have a "digger's instinct" to explore and experience different sounds. "If it helps to have someone of Jonny Greenwood's stature to nudge you in the direction of chamber music or Boiler Room to lead you towards abstract classical forms, then we're doing our job properly," he said.

Gabriel Szatan, curator at Boiler Room, agreed, adding that some electronic figureheads such as Four Tet, James Holden, Nils Frahm and Kompakt Records have also helped pave the way for this change. "Recently, we've seen breakout stars like Jon Hopkins and James Blake come from classically trained backgrounds and one of the all-time most played records in Boiler Room DJ sets is a remix of minimalist classical composer Steve Reich. This generation is incredibly eager and open-minded and it's no surprise that people are into this."

According to Robert Ames, artistic director at the LCO, there is a hunger for collaborative music events and a lot of work goes into making performances special. "People are looking for new experiences and quality music making allows them to access something different. The growth of our young audience has been really stimulated by people understanding that there is a soundworld out there which is incredibly dynamic and exciting. We're offering something that they don't get to hear through the standard music channels." Ames also thinks that collaborating with well-known artists, musicians and brands such as Conrad Shawcross, William Basinski, Ron Arad, Foals, Vivienne Westwood and Nike helps the LCO bring in a new, younger audience.

For Derrick May, the Detroit techno pioneer, who recently performed his music with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, combining classical and electronic music has been a long time coming. "It had always been a dream of mine, but it only began to take shape a few years ago," he said. "It's amazing to hear my music as I accompany them playing improvisational keyboards. I'm stood there, in between the orchestra, and I can't believe it's really happening. It's surreal but really cool at the same time."

However, May, who is a fan of Rachmaninov and Beethoven, admits that the experience can be daunting. "I'm playing with professionals so I have to play really well. I can feel their eyes on me and I guess they're wondering what the hell I'm doing among them. The pressure is on and I enjoy that feeling."

With collaborations such as these winning over a new generation of classical fans and gaining millions of hits online, many think the trend is here to stay. "We have some ambitious projects in the pipeline and we want to explore the classical world in even more depth," said Bellville. "And as long as that appetite exists, we'll be there."